A recent study into leadership of technical professionals by performance improvement solutions provider GP Strategies Corporation has revealed big differences in what businesses need and what L&D teams assume business needs.
The study looked at the training requirements of people in technical roles and how this expertise can be developed. Feedback from 900 leaders and managers of technical professionals, 300 technical staff and 100 learning professionals was included in the research.
When it came to leadership priorities, the study showed L&D teams were way off the mark in terms of what the business required.
According to the research, L&D’s top three leadership challenges for those leading technical teams were assumed to be:
- Self-development.
- Encouraging team engagement.
- Leading teams through organizational changes.
The reality, however, was that technical leaders said they faced the following top five leadership challenges:
- Delivering on projects with fewer resources.
- Recruiting needed talent.
- Balancing team coaching needs versus project needs.
- Team skill development.
- Encouraging innovative thinking.
Read the press release in full.
[Picture credit: Suserl]
